


Dorks in the Dark

by leggyfae



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ghost Hunters, Gen, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2017-12-21
Packaged: 2019-02-18 02:33:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13090566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leggyfae/pseuds/leggyfae
Summary: With the growing popularity of Jean's ghost hunting channel, the two decide to take on new locations and challenges.





	Dorks in the Dark

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mogoliz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mogoliz/gifts).



“Fucking shit!”

 

There was a clatter of something falling on the sidewalk and giggles sounded from the other side of the camera. “Come on, scaredy cat, it's not even that dark out! We're just scouting the place out for later tonight.”

 

“There's no fucking way that you didn't see that, Marco,” the blond on screen said, stepping towards the camera and pulling it away from the cameraman with shaky fingers. He pointed the lens towards the top of a lighthouse, zooming in on the far ledge. “There was someone right there, and then they went up in smoke.”

 

Marco laughed again, carefully prying the camera from the other's hands, the corner of a freckled cheek flashing on the screen as he righted the camera and zoomed back out. “Right, because an apparition is going to show up while the sun's still partially out. We both know that the Mist Woman sightings only happen between midnight and four.” The camera turned and focused on the blond as he gave Marco a blank, confused stare.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Were you paying attention to me at all earlier, Jean?” The voice behind the camera was exasperated, but fond, and Jean grinned sheepishly. “Oh my God, you're ridiculously predictable.”

 

“Hey!”

 

Marco laughed again, keeping the camera on Jean's face as it twisted into playfully hurt betrayal. The video cut to black, then started playing Jean's obnoxious, poorly edited intro.

 

~~~

 

Marco paused the video, looking up as Jean entered their apartment. “You know that  _ Undercover Coincidences _ has over one million hits? And that's just our first video. At least half of that has happened over the last three months. I think that the local talk show we were guests on helped us a lot with expanding our viewers. A lot of newer viewers have been commenting about similar experiences that they've had and want to invite us to--” Lips pressing against his cut Marco off and he hummed into the kiss, bringing a hand up to cup Jean's cheek. “They want us to come investigate the haunted places near them,” he finished when Jean pulled away. 

 

Jean leaned over Marco, opening up a new tab to check on the stats of their channel. A thousand new subscribers over the past week. He clicked back to the page Marco was on and scrolled through some of the comments. “Yeah, why not. Our kickstarter is nearly triple what we had hoped for. We definitely have enough to start traveling further. Were there any places that stuck out at you?”

 

The brunet nodded, pulling his phone out for his notes while Jean continued to look through the comments. “The oldest town in the states, St. Shina. A lot of our viewers, even if they don't live there, have suggested it. So I did some research and there are five major haunted landmarks, at least three cemeteries, and even some of the older buildings down Main Street have had activity. They've even got a lighthouse, and I know how much you love those.”

 

“Fuck off, freckles. That ghost tried to shove me down the stairs.”

 

“You tripped.”

 

“I was pushed!” Jean insisted, standing back up and crossing his arms.

 

Marco nodded, still skeptical of Jean's story. He wouldn't put it past the blond to say he was pushed in order to pretend that he hadn't tripped over his own two feet. “Right. But what do you think? Should we head there for a week?”

 

“You've already looked into it, haven't you?” The brunet nodded. “I'll get the tickets and hotel if you start packing.”

 

~~~

 

When the plane landed, Jean was practically bouncing to get out of his seat. Suffering from a combination of nerves, anxiety, and motion sickness that was usually managed when they travelled. Jean made a beeline for the bathroom when they got off, and Marco waited for their things in baggage claim, setting up the camera for Jean's arrival. Ten minutes later, the blond arrived and Marco had their bags and his camera ready to go. He started filming on Jean's signal, lense focused on Jean's slightly paler than usual face.

 

“Hey all, thanks for tuning in. I'm Jean, accompanied by my lovely assistant--”

 

“Boyfriend.”

 

“By my lovely boyfriend, Marco,” Jean corrected, flushing slightly at the change. They'd only recently opened up about their relationship, Jean having slipped up and referred to Marco with one of his many pet names during a live stream a few months earlier. “And we're here in the bustling St. Shina airport, about to settle into our hotel for the day. But, Jean, why are you in St. Shina, you ask? I'll tell you. We've gotten so many requests the past few months, and a lot of you are interested in seeing me piss my pants in different haunted haunts. So I figured, why not? We're gonna do a little bit of research, wander around a bit, and then camp out in whatever freaky location Marco has picked for me. You know. The usual. See you on the other side!”

 

Jean shot the camera a finger gun and a wink before Marco stopped filming. They would have to edit in Jean's shitty opening later, but for now it was enough.

 

After slipping the camera back into the bag, Marco grabbed their luggage and lead the way to where they'll meet their uber.

 

The hotel Jean booked them was small, and while Jean checked them in, Marco looked through the pamphlets the hotel had out. It was obvious that this town was a tourist trap. Boat rides, trolley tours, he saw at least five advertisements for horse drawn carriage tours, and triple that for ghost tours. He made sure to grab the ones with ghost tours before Jean lead them to their room. 

 

They settled in quickly, Jean taking a quick shower before they set out, Marco flipping through the pamphlets to see if there was anything good to eat around.

 

They spent the rest of the afternoon getting familiar with the town, picking up dinner after Marco interviewed some of the locals. When night fell, the two were ready.

 

Marco had already compiled his notes; camera bag and recording equipment slung carefully across his back. He adjusted Jean's mic for the fifth time, and then they were lead into the light keeper's house by the manager of the property.

 

“I told my boys to leave all the doors unlocked for you two tonight. You've got the overnight watchman’s number in case anything happens. He's got keys to every room, just in case the kids decide to toy with y'all and lock the doors,” the manager said.

 

“Wait, kids?” Jean interrupted. 

 

The manager grinned at Jean's question but continued on as if he hadn't heard him. “Try to stay away from the ledges, insurance doesn't cover for ghosts. I'll be back bright and early tomorrow morning.”

 

Jean held out his hand to try and stop the manager from leaving, Marco laughing as she walked away without looking back. “You're trying to kill me, freckles.” Marco laughed again.

 

~~~

 

It took until almost midnight for the first signs of activity. The two had explored every corner of the keeper’s house and the lighthouse, when Jean decided they were going to check outside. He pulled the front door open, Marco with the camera right at his shoulder, and froze. “Are… Are you catching that, Marco?” he whispered.

 

“The two little girls? Yeah.”

 

Marco zoomed in on the apparitions near the bay. Two girls, soaked to the bone, sat near the water playing pattycake. The one in the blue dress stood after a moment, turning to look directly at the camera before she and her sister vanished. Laughter flitted down from the top of the lighthouse and Jean closed the door, forcing Marco to zoom back out and step back.

 

“Holy fuck. Shit! You got that, right? Please tell me you got that. Who were they? Where are your notes? That's… Oh my God!” Jean rambled, moving to peer out the window in hopes that he'd see the ghosts again. “Who were they?”

 

“Eliza and Mary Templeton, they died in a boating accident. Fell off of the boat and Mary reportedly cracked her head open on a rock. Eliza tried to get them both back to the boat, but, if you'll forgive the pun, Mary's dead weight, and Eliza’s poor swimming brought them to their doom. People report hearing Eliza crying out for help on busy days. Water splashing on quiet days. And, what we heard just now, laughter from the lighthouse. They were the daughters of the original owner of the lighthouse.” Jean stepped away from the window and looked passed the camera to meet Marco's eyes, silently asking if they should start exploring the other rooms again. Marco nodded, not stopping his story while he followed Jean back to the lighthouse. 

 

“After their untimely passing, their mother fell into depression and was shipped off to a nearby hospital. Their father, on the other hand, threw himself into his work. He never slept, started smoking more than just his cigars. In his journals, he claims to have seen things out of the corners of his eyes during his last few days. He committed suicide, throwing himself off of the top of the lighthouse in the middle of the night. The last entry in his journal was unintelligible scribble up until the last line where he wrote, ‘I hope now they'll stop begging me to join them in eternal sleep’.”

 

Jean stopped on the stairs, looking over his shoulder at Marco, fear glinting in his eyes. “I chose the worst profession ever. I haven't gotten a decent night's sleep in years. Why do you let me do this to myself?”

 

Marco reached forward and gently pushed against Jean's back to get him to continue forward. “You're the one who begged me to help you with this. Come on, let's go find some more ghosts, babe.”


End file.
